Joining us for a video conference from Geneva was David Galipeau, Head of Web Communications, 
UNAIDS.
He briefly outlined the work he’s involved with and took questions from participants.
ICT’s in develping countries are not about technology, but about the application of technology to specific local circumstances. One such example included a system where buses travelling through rural India offered the ability to send / receive email using wifi connections as it moved through the villages. Think of it like a postman who collects and delivers mail two to three times per day.
A major challenge with some of the new technologies come back to illiteracy in massive swathes of world. Equipping every town and village with internet connected computers won’t solve problems if people can’t read and write!
Thomas Mountford, pictured left asked about what makes a successful web site, and what are the ingredients involved?
David Galipeau: First and foremost is content.
Raw data …. leads to …. Information …. leads to …. Knowledge.
Once the data becomes valuable knowledge, you reach the holy grail of producing a good web site.
Additionally, aim for participatory technologies. That is, not, simply a web site that displays text and images created as ‘push’ content. Look at the internet as a two way delivery mechanism, offering a whole range of tools for your disposal.
In answer to a question about media proliferation across the world, David outlined an example stating that ‘Al Jazeera’ (English language site) has finally gone global. It now provides channels across web, tv, and radio, with the potential to access a truly global audience. He foresees the major benefit being the ability to make more informed opinion based on a wider range of news sources, including U.S and European perspectives.
Images of participants below.
